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Eggs Benedict

Created in the 1920s at Delmonico's restaurant in New York City, this dish traditionally uses ham or bacon and a rich butter sauce. Here, a lower-fat yogurt and chive hollandaise contrasts with the richness of poached eggs and lean prosciutto, to make a lighter, but equally special version.

By Milk, Eggs and Cheese, Reader's Digest publication

Reader's Digest

Ingredients

1 teaspoon vinegar

4 eggs

4 English muffins, halved

4 slices prosciutto, trimmed of fat

Salt and pepper

Yogurt and chive hollandaise sauce

2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

⅔ cup (160 g) Greek-style yogurt

1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives

To serve:

paprika

1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives

Preparation

First make the hollandaise sauce. Whisk together the egg yolks, mustard and yogurt in a heatproof bowl or in the top of a double saucepan. Set over a saucepan of barely simmering water and cook for 12–15 minutes, stirring constantly, until thick – the sauce will become thinner at first, but will then thicken.

Stir in the chives, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and keep the sauce warm over the pan of hot water.

Half fill a frying pan with water. Bring to the boil, then add the vinegar. Reduce the heat so the water is just simmering gently, then carefully break the eggs into the water, one at a time. Poach for 3–4 minutes, spooning the hot water over the yolks towards the end of cooking.

Meanwhile, preheat the grill to high. Lightly toast the muffin halves for about 1 minute on each side. Place one half on each of 4 warmed plates and top each with a slice of prosciutto, crumpled slightly to fit.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the poached eggs from the pan, one at a time. Rest on paper towel to drain off any water and, if liked, trim off any ragged edges of eggwhite with scissors. Place an egg on top of each prosciutto-topped muffin half.

Spoon the warm hollandaise sauce over the eggs, and sprinkle each serving with a pinch of paprika and chives. Serve immediately, with the remaining toasted muffin halves.

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